What is the appropriate 'super' etiquette?

The super is not responsible for any of that, but for a nominal amount most would be glad to help

Really depends on the building. In some buildings what residents call the super is really the building manager. Also buildings may have policies about this sort of thing. In my building the staff commonly assist with light bulbs, toilet flappers, smoke detectors and air conditioning filters. Clogged sinks and bathtubs are also handled.

Good policy too. An ignored sink or shower clog can easily turn into a water leakage impacting apartments below

I also live in a large co-op. In my building we have a team of handymen but we are billed for any work that they do.

this all depends on the nature of the building you live in! you could try asking a few neighbors how they have leveraged the super in the past!

Most buildings will have a set of jobs that a super is expected to do (i.e. common area cleanup). Anything extra in your apartment I'm sure your super would be happy to do for a reasonable tip.

Just don't expect him to do it for FREE as some abusive people on boards try to do for their own personal benefit - that gets very awkward fast

Actually, the more I think about you should actually just sell and upgrade to a condo if you can afford it. There are so many headaches with co-op living it's really just not feasible for most people unless you can't afford a condo. There really is no benefit to having a co-op except value for the dollar really. Harsh but true. I'd read this https://www.hauseit.com/steps-to-selling-a-co-op-in-nyc/ if that's something you're starting to realize. Good luck with your board!

JR1 - what does her the building being a CO-OP have to do with this? The super is no more responsible for things in a condo. There are plenty of cons to CO-OPs, but to condos as well.
Trike, everyone is right - it really depends on your building. But things that have to do with sinks are usually covered (because it could affect other residents) and things that only have to do with your apartment are usually not but if you tip well, someone will usually help you out. It's generally a good idea to give your super a nice tip when you move in.

JR1 - what does her the building being a CO-OP have to do with this? The super is no more responsible for things in a condo. There are plenty of cons to CO-OPs, but to condos as well.
Trike, everyone is right - it really depends on your building. But things that have to do with sinks are usually covered (because it could affect other residents) and things that only have to do with your apartment are usually not but if you tip well, someone will usually help you out. It's generally a good idea to give your super a nice tip when you move in.

We've lived in both co-ops and condos over the past several decades and have never been billed for any work done in our apartments. Every building works differently but our current one requires that we write up a request for repair at the doorman's desk and the handyman generally fulfills it. In other buildings we spoke directly to the super and either he or the handyman made the repair. We always generously tip based on the difficultly of the repair and the time spent doing it. We have had leaking faucets repaired or replaced, running toilets, leaky bathtub fixtures, light fixtures and switches repaired or replaced, painting, 2 bathroom ceilings replaced, doors replaced and a host of other things I can't remember at the moment.

We've lived in both co-ops and condos over the past several decades and have never been billed for any work done in our apartments. Every building works differently but our current one requires that we write up a request for repair at the doorman's desk and the handyman generally fulfills it. In other buildings we spoke directly to the super and either he or the handyman made the repair. We always generously tip based on the difficultly of the repair and the time spent doing it. We have had leaking faucets repaired or replaced, running toilets, leaky bathtub fixtures, light fixtures and switches repaired or replaced, painting, 2 bathroom ceilings replaced, doors replaced and a host of other things I can't remember at the moment.

We've lived in both co-ops and condos over the past several decades and have never been billed for any work done in our apartments. Every building works differently but our current one requires that we write up a request for repair at the doorman's desk and the handyman generally fulfills it. In other buildings we spoke directly to the super and either he or the handyman made the repair. We always generously tip based on the difficultly of the repair and the time spent doing it. We have had leaking faucets repaired or replaced, running toilets, leaky bathtub fixtures, light fixtures and switches repaired or replaced, painting, 2 bathroom ceilings replaced, doors replaced and a host of other things I can't remember at the moment.

We've lived in both co-ops and condos over the past several decades and have never been billed for any work done in our apartments. Every building works differently but our current one requires that we write up a request for repair at the doorman's desk and the handyman generally fulfills it. In other buildings we spoke directly to the super and either he or the handyman made the repair. We always generously tip based on the difficultly of the repair and the time spent doing it. We have had leaking faucets repaired or replaced, running toilets, leaky bathtub fixtures, light fixtures and switches repaired or replaced, painting, 2 bathroom ceilings replaced, doors replaced and a host of other things I can't remember at the moment.

I actually think my building has it right. The building staff receive a salary, so why should the handymen be tipped for doing their job. All shareholders contribute to salaries through maintenance. Some of this can be off-set by charging residents a minimal amount for repairs. Of course, all residents have the option of bringing in an outsider to do the work, but that is usually more expensive. If there is a tipping system in place then residents who have more repairs done still pay more over and above their maintenance charge, but the extra money goes into the pockets of the building staff for work they are doing during paid hours, rather than into the building kitty. I don't get the logic of this...

Of course I would still tip for a job well done, if appropriate.

Kas, What if without the tip expectation, the building will have to pay higher salaries?

That is a good question, but aren't the salaries for these types of jobs determined by union rules?

Super etiquette is 100% building dependent!

Yes, in most cases. But there is no way to tell whether or how much union's negotiations factor in expected tips. At the end of the day, unions can not negotiate double the normal wages.

Supers normally arent busy all the time and often are doing 'side' jobs in the building during their normal work hours.....i think the abuse can happen in either direction and remember a super gets a free 2 or 3 bed apt, decent salary, great benefits, bonus/tips for xmas and side job income ie prob 150-200 k per year in valuie

Many supers do not get free housing. We pay 60k and health care. Total tips and bonus do not exceed 10k. Side job is extra work and anyone is free to do that.

Most supers do get FREE housing and tips and bonus are much more than $10k in NYC coops plus side jobs are usually done during work hours

I was just talking about this the other day with a guy who's family has owned small apartment buildings in Queens for a long time. Supers are becoming a big problem for small building landlords. It used to be a super took care of everything in the building from the boiler to renovating vacant apartments and it was all included in what they were paid. these days, supers in these building do next to nothing except have arguments with the tenants. everything gets billed as a side job. Probelm with the boiler? You'd better have a contract with a boiler maintenance company which is on call 24/7 because the super doesn't know anything. Problem with a lock? You'd better have a contract with a 24 hours locksmith because the super doesn't do that. Tenant moves out? You'd better have a relationship with a good cheap contractor because supers don't even paint apartmentws any more (unless a tenant wants to pay them cash, then they can paint any apartment in the neighborhood while they are supposed to be taking care of their own building). Plus the opportunity cost of having an apartment taken up by a live-in super has rocketed.

It used to be if you owned a small 12 unit walk-up in Jackson Heights you gave a super an apartment (which means you gave up $600), paid them $400 a month on top of that and thy took care of everything. These days, you give them a $1,600 a month apartment, pay them another $1,600 and end up spending another $2,000 to $3,000 a month on all the outside work that they should have been doing included in their compensation.

It used to be" ... is that 30 years ago?
Of all the problems in New York and the world, this sad silly comparison to the 1980s ($600 apartment and $400 a month = $12K a year) is absurd